How To Make A Green Smoothie

Posted on November 20, 2014 in Cooking

I’ve been drinking green smoothies for a very long time. Spinach and kale top my list, but there are so many greens (and green vegetables) that are delicious and healthy, and make amazing smoothies. But, it can be difficult to make green smoothies taste…good. What do I add? What fruits taste good with greens? What about portions? So today, I will detail my favorite ways for how to make a green smoothie super delicious.

How to make a green smoothie, serves one:

1. Start with 2 cups of your favorite leafy green vegetable (romaine lettuce, kale, spinach…)
2. Choose 1 - 1 1/2 cup a low calorie liquid base (Bai5, unsweetened almond milk, coconut water)
3. Choose 1/2 cup of protein (plain greek yogurt, plain traditional yogurt, silken tofu)
4. Choose 1 tbsp healthy fat (chia seeds, walnuts, peanut butter)
5. Choose 1 whole fruit, or 1/2 cup portions of 2 fruits
6. Blend ingredients together, starting with greens and liquid base, then adding the rest of the ingredients (and ice if you prefer a very cold smoothie) until the smoothie is completely blended and incorporated
7. Serve immediately

Today I am using Bai5 — an all natural antioxidant infusion drink that has only 5 calories and 1 gram of sugar per serving (Bai5 is sweetened with organic stevia).

Ingredients in my Bai5 Coconut Spinach Smoothie, serves two:

4 cups spinach
3 cup Bai5 Molokai Coconut
1 cup 2% plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp walnuts
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 banana
1 cup blueberries
1 cup ice

Nutrition Information for one serving:
250 calories, 8.5 fat, 15 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 5.5 g fiber

Smoothies, even green smoothies can be very high in calories. With sugary additions like sweeteners, fruit flavored yogurt, whole milk, fruit overload and nut butters, calories and fat can quickly get out of control. I especially like using low calorie liquid bases in smoothies because it does not add much to the total calorie “load” of the smoothie, and allows for delicious additions in the smoothie, like walnuts and shredded coconut. Here, because I used Bai5, my liquid base was so low calories, I was able to top the smoothie with even more shredded coconut!

What are your favorite flavorings to add to a green smoothie? Please share your best green smoothie recipes in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!

-MW.